Thread: distal tibial plateau fracture

Can some one help me out I had a distal tibial plateau fracture, at 6 weeks the doc said i can start putting 50lbs on it for 3 weeks. After 3.5 weeks i should only be using crutches Balance. Can anyone tell me what to expect after the first days of FWB SOOOO NERVES HELP!!

LRB - a little confused as to what you mean by distal. "Distal" generally refers to the far end of the bone (i.e., in the tibia it would mean nearer to the ankle) while "proximal" refers to the closer end (i.e., near the knee, which is where the tibial plateau is located). As far as tibial plateaus go, you'll be sore and there's a relearning to walk component to FWB, but that is completely normal and you will improve very quickly with time - in fact, the fastest improvement is right at the begninning. Best thing you can do is to work on range of motion before the time for full weight bearing comes, especially getting the knee completely straight (and not just "almost" straight) - that makes the biggest difference in the long run b/c it takes much less energy to walk if we can straighten our knee completely vs. even a few degrees of flexion.

Best of luck in your recovery!

Originally Posted by long road back

Can some one help me out I had a distal tibial plateau fracture, at 6 weeks the doc said i can start putting 50lbs on it for 3 weeks. After 3.5 weeks i should only be using crutches Balance. Can anyone tell me what to expect after the first days of FWB SOOOO NERVES HELP!!

I have been loving the transition to FWB as tolerated. Dropping a crutch is brilliant. Check out the Tibial Plateau Recovery forum on this site. That's the group of like injured folk you want to meet! See you there!

I'm new here and have been reading through post after post about your injuries. I'm hoping you all are recovering well, I know how difficult the process is, at the beginning it seemed almost impossible.

I fractured my left tibial plateau on December 1st. I was standing on a six foot ladder and lost my balance. I came straight down off the ladder landing firmly on both feet. The second my feet hit the ground I was tossed to my backside. I attempted to stand up but I couldn't move my left leg from the bending position that it was stuck in and I knew immediately that it meant big trouble. We got into the car and immediately headed to the E.R. After arriving I was administered Dilaudid for pain as well as a Zofran for nauseau. The pain wasn't so bad when I fell but it was certainly killing me now. After an X-ray which kicked my butt since they X-ray tech tried to straighten my left leg to obtain a good image of my knee, I learned that I had fractured my tibial plateau and a CT was performed. More Dilaudid before the CT and then the CT results confirmed that it was a tibial plateau fracture, Level VI. Guess that's the worse case scenario. Toradol was added to the Dilaudid as the pain was now pretty severe and unbearable.

The pain was pretty intense now and the swelling was overwhelming. The E.R. nurses and a PA straightened my leg and casted it in a temp cast and I was admitted to the hospital. I consulted with the ortho surgeon and surgery was put off until December 5 in order to allow the swelling to reduce prior to surgery. These days between surgery and the accident were a bit of a blur, lots of pain meds and ice packs in order to induce proper pain management.

The surgery went well, three screws and a plate and I was sent home two days later in a Bledsoe Immobilizer locked at 40 degrees. The evening of the surgery the pain was at it's worst and since I had a spinal during surgery there was a time frame before any intravenous medications could be administered. Finally after hitting the 12th hour post surgery, Dilaudid and Toradol via I.V. were allowed and the pain was finally under control.

Upon discharge I was NWB and began Coumadin therapy as a result of the Factor V Leiden that I carry which is a clotting disorder. In order to obtain therapeutic levels of blood thinners I had to take Coumadin orally as well as receive Lovenox injections in my stomach as an outpatient until reaching those levels.

There has been NO PAIN since the day after surgery and learning to get around the house was a battle. Showering, sleeping, and trying to keep up on the house duties was incredibly difficult. I'm a little crazy about keeping the house up and this was something that took quite a bit to get used to. My family and my boyfriend were a tremendous help to me. The kids loved me being NWB, because I wasn't able to do the household chores which meant more time to sit and play board games, paint fingernails, etc. I guess if there is a silver lining to this situation it is the fact that it required me to truly slow down and spend uninterrrupted quality time with the kids.

Two week post-op follow up with the ortho surgeon confirmed that the incision was healing very quickly, the surgical staples were removed and I was instructed to follow up again in two weeks. I was now allowed to shower without the Bledsoe immobilizer on and it was a bit discouraging to see the condition of my leg without the immobilizer. Every time I looked at it I would sit and wonder whether or not it would ever function properly again.

Four week post-op follow up with the ortho surgeon was today. X-ray demonstrates an awesome healing process. Bledsoe immobilizer is now unlocked allowing for unlimited movement, brace can be removed while sleeping and I have been cleared for 50% Weight Bearing on my left leg. Physical therapy will begin next week, three times per week for four weeks. Flexion is approximately 90 degrees, Extension is approximately 100 degrees. Still have quite a ways to go.

My 8 week follow up with ortho surgeon will be on January 31st and at the point he expects me to be cleared for 100% weight bearing.

Cannot wait for that appointment and I'm going to work so incredibly hard to get to that point.

That's my story.....